by Lethe
Chapter Ten: Suggesting
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An odd introduction… (Its main purpose is probably to take up space. ^__^;;) (I made 'mumble' a noun! Ahahaha.)
Tell you what… It isn't finished until I say it is. ^__^
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In an apartment like any other, a young, blond man slept. Now, this young man wasn't particularly extraordinary either, aside from his talent in Duel Monsters, but he is one of the main subjects of this chapter, and so shall be described in a tolerable amount of detail.
If one were to examine the boy's room, they would find a clutter of objects, and homework papers strewn untidily about. They would find, in addition, an old phone on the floor, colored pastel green. He didn't use it very often; he used it twice a week at most, but it was rather comforting to have.
Then, if one took a look at the character, they would note that he was sleeping rather peacefully, though they would find evidence that he had been crying earlier. Jonouchi – that was his name – lay on his bed, still wearing a shirt and jeans, as though he had been too weary to change them. Every now and then, he would mumble in his sleep; however, the words weren't loud enough to be distinguished.
During one such mumble, the phone rang.
Jonouchi blinked and rubbed his eyes. He had been dreaming, until a noise woke him up. What was that noise?
The phone rang again.
He quickly scrambled to the floor and grabbed the phone. "Hello…?" he said sleepily.
"Jou? I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"Well, yeah, but I was going to-" Then he recognized the voice. "Seto?"
"That would be me."
Jonouchi almost panicked and slammed the phone down; fortunately, he regained his senses in time and answered with as much composure as he could muster. "Um… hi."
"I was wondering if we could meet somewhere." Was that a quaver Jonouchi had heard in Kaiba's voice? No, unthinkable.
"Okay. Just name the place."
"Okay. Just name the place," came Jonouchi's voice through the phone. Kaiba smiled slightly as he thought of one.
"How about the café we went to a few weeks ago? You do know the one I'm talking about?"
"Yeah, I remember. Uh, I'll be there in about ten minutes, then."
"Do you want me to pick you up?"
"Nah, it's okay. I'll see you there."
"All right. See you, Jou."
"Bye."
There was a click as Jonouchi disconnected.
I look like crap! yelled Jonouchi inwardly, examining himself in the mirror. I couldn't look worse if I were run over by a bus! His hair was tangled – which it usually was, though not to this extent; his eyes were still slightly red, and his clothes were rumpled…
And I'm going to meet Seto in ten minutes! Crap!
Kaiba glanced at his watch. Where was Jonouchi?
Calm down, Seto. It's only been five minutes. You can't expect him to be right on time.
And there he is now.
"S-sorry I'm late," panted Jonouchi. He sighed and sank into the chair opposite Kaiba. "What's up?"
Thank goodness. Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"
Jonouchi grinned awkwardly. "Uh, I ran here."
"You're a mess," said Kaiba. He reached across the table and tugged a few strands of Jonouchi's hair lightly. "Jou, when was the last time you brushed it?"
"Right before I came here," said Jonouchi annoyedly. Jeez, I don't know whether I should be happy or mad.
Kaiba laughed. "Either you're a really bad brusher, or your hair's beyond help."
"Seto?" began Jonouchi.
"Yes?" Suddenly, Kaiba seemed more… alert. More serious.
"Maybe we should just get to the point."
"That would be…?"
"Look, Seto, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that. But I really still want to be friends with you," Jonouchi pleaded. "I won't do anything you don't want me to do, okay? I mean, I know you wouldn't… you're not… Of course, if you don't want to talk to me at all, that's all right too, I-"
"Jou!"
Jonouchi blinked and stopped talking.
"Katsuya, I'm the one who called you today, so it seems pretty obvious that I still want to talk to you."
"You do?"
"I do," said Kaiba. "Okay?"
"Um…" Jonouchi blushed. "About the…"
Seto smiled. "Yes?"
Smiling. He's smiling. He's smiling at me! Jou's blush, though he hadn't thought it possible, deepened. "You know… that. What did you think…?"
Seto's smile became shy, and almost – Jonouchi was feeling very nervous now – suggestive. "You know what?"
"Wh-" Jou's voice cracked. "What?"
That smile was definitely suggesting something! "I'm not really sure what I think. It was rather quick, after all." Kaiba looked around. "The place is just about empty. What do you say? Would you like to try again?"
"I'd like that."
"Then, by all means, go on."
Jonouchi stood up and walked around to Kaiba. He leaned forward. "By all means?"
Seto watched Jou, smiling up at him, the smile that Jonouchi had craved. That open, kind, promising smile. His lips parted, and a whisper that Jou could barely hear came. "By all means."
**
Later, in retrospect, Jonouchi would regret only one thing.
He had forgotten to get ice cream.